Reed organ and stand



June 25, 1957 E. L. BOLLE REED ORGAN AND STAND Filed Jan. 28, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Ear Lg/90g;

H/S A TTOR/VEY June 25, 1957 E. L. BOLLE 2,796,796

REED ORGAN AND STAND Filed Jan. 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 70 FIG. 5

IN VEN TOR.

H/S A TTORNEY J 25, 1957 E. L. BOLLE 2,796 ;796

REED ORGAN AND STAND Filed Jan. 28, 1954 r 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent REED ORGAN AND STAND Earl L. Bolle, Birmingham, Mich.

Application January 28, 1954, Serial No. 406,653

9 Claims. (Cl. 84-355) This invention relates to reed organs, and more especially to instrument stands and stand organ instruments.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a reed organ having a highly satisfactory motor-pump power air system for vibrating the organ reeds and which may be easily controlled for regulating the swell of the music being played.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a reed organ having a motor-pump power air system for vibrating the reeds and which system is eifectively protected against undue load on the motor and pump as well as against undue stress on other components of the system while the instrument is not being played and the motor and pump are operating.

Another object is the provision of a reed organ having a promptly responsive manually controlled air system for varying the quantity of air passing through the instrument reeds.

Another object of the invention is that of providing a simple and practical reed organ which though being an upright stand instrument is easily adjusted to attain keyboard heighth best suited to the player.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a reed organ having a stand on which the reeds and their corresponding keys are well situated for ready access, study, and ease of playing.

Another object of the invention is that of providing an upright reed organ of the character noted which occupies a small amount of floor space.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a reed organ embodying separate keyboard portions of a standard accordion.

Another object of the invention is that of providing a playing stand which is capable of supporting a reed organ instrument in air draft relation for playing.

Other objects in part will be obvious and in part pointed out more fully hereinafter.

The invention accordingly resides in the combination of components, features of construction and operation, as represented herein, the scope of the application of which is indicated in the following claims.

Certain embodiments of the present invention are illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a reed organ instrument including opened portions of a standard accordion;

Figure 2 represents details of a certain type of standard accordion;

Figure 3 is an elevation partially in section representing details of lower portions of the instrument stand, includ: ing the base and post;

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the vacuum head of the instrument stand taken in plane AA in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 represents in perspective view a modified embodiment of this invention.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of the present invention, it may be noted at this point that reed organs heretofore have existed in any of a variety of forms, some of which embody a stand for supporting the instrument reeds and a keyboard having keys corresponding to the reeds. A large number of these organs depend for air supply upon a bellows or the like operated by foot treadles or a motor, so as to introduce compressed air to the reeds for the air to be expelled upon the opening of selected keys in the keyboard. In a number of instances the control over the air supply in stand organs has been so poor as to introduce undue loads and stresses on components of the apparatus and frequently difliculties with playing resulting in sacrifice of good music. Other well known reed organ instruments in the prior art have no stands and among these are accordions which are operated by the player and have a bellows requiring manual pumping while the keys of the instrument are being operated. Sometimes use of instruments of the latter sort is prohibitive for such reasons as physical condition of the player or use is undesired for a particular occasion.

An outstanding object of the present invention accordingly is that of providing an upright stand accordion instrument which includes the several separate keyboard sections of a standard accordion and is equipped to produce a flow of air through the reeds corresponding to bass and treble keyboards while these keyboards and a thoroughly satisfactory air supply system are easily controlled on a stand by the player, thus giving music without support of the instrument by the player or need for manual operation of the instrument bellows, and which instrument further lends itself to the removal of the standard accordion sections when desired so that these sections may be joined to give a standard accordion unit assembled in the conventional manner and pumped and played until separation of the several sections is desired for use again applied in playing condition to the instrument stand, thus giving difierent and valuable ways in which a standard accordion may be employed for'producing musical instruments and music.

In the particular form represented in the accompanying drawing, an instrument stand 10 is provided having a base 11 including legs 11a supporting the lower end of a vertical post 13. Extending from the upper end of post 13 is a vacuum head 16 of the stand and this vacuum head supports at least one system of reeds and a corresponding keyboard of the instrument, and encloses the reeds to theintake side of an air pump for the pump to draw air past the reeds when the corresponding keys are opened. Connection advantageously is achieved by making the post 13 hollow to afford a passage for air from an air draft fitting or manifold 14 of the vacuum head 16 to the pump intake.

Since the present invention in certain embodiments is directed to the utilization of sections of a standard accordion 17 on the stand 10 for the production of music, it may be noted that the accordion is divisible into a treble keyboard section 18 and a bass keyboard section 19, which may be separated or joined together at the will of the player. Conveniently, one of the separated sections, as for example the bass section 19, still has the instrument bellows 19c affixed to it after separation from the other section, the respective sections having keyboards 18a and 19a and corresponding reeds in reed systems behind the keys. Vacuum head 16 encloses the open sides of the accordion sections to the intake 'side of the air pump. In the embodiment represented, the vacuum head 16 includes portions 21 and 22 respectively affording rectangular seats 23 and 24 to receive the treble section 18 and bass section 19 of the standard accordion, thus forming air chambers with each of the same and n ec ng he keyb a d controlled port of the seve al according sections to the draft fitting or manifold 14 of the vacuum head so as to give free course in this respect for air admitted through these ports past the corresponding reeds of the musical instrument to pump 20. 7

As represented in Figure l,'the vacuum head portions 21 and 22 occupy righthand andlefthand end-to-end positions, respectively, on opposite sides of post 13 and have their seats 23 and 24 for the accordion sections tilted or inclined downwardly toward the side of the stand which ordinarily is occupied for playing. By supporting treble section 18 and bass section 19 in a substantially end-toend relation on stand '10, treblekeyboard 18a and bass keyboard 19a extend away from each other in substantially opposite directions. Further, by supporting the ,accordion sections on the stand in positions of tilt toward the player of the instrument, the keyboards 18a and 19a of the respective sections are most accessible whether the player stands or sits. The tilt of treble section 18'imparted by support on the inclined rectangular seat 23 advantageously. is acute enough to sustain the corresponding keyboardlSa substantially horizontal, and the tilt of base section 19 imparted by supporting this section on the tilted rectangular seat 24, preferably is about the same as that of the treble section,thus bringing keyboards18a and 19a to within quite favorable angle of attack and easy reach regardless of whether the player is standing or sitting.

Behind the seats 23 and.24 are walls 21a and 22a of the vacuum head portions 21 and 22 which together with the seats form inverted hoods .over the respective open sides of the treble and bass sections of the accordion 17. There are openings 27 and 28 through the walls 21a and 22a for feeding air into the draft fitting or manifold 14 of the vacuum head. Vacuum head portions 21 and 22 illustratively are trays made of wood, synthetic resin, metal, or the like, having rectangular bottoms 21a and 22a and upstanding rectangular frames or sides on the outer edges of which the seats 23 and 24 are situated.

The draft fitting or manifold 14 comprises a coupling component 34 for connection to post 13 and extends upwardly and outwardly with increasing width from the top end of the post to underneath the tray bottoms 21a and 22a in the vicinity of the adjacent ends of the trays, there being bolted to the'trays and sealed for example to the under surfaces of the tray bottoms by suitable gaskets. On the inside, the draft fitting or manifold 14 is hollow and thus affords passage for air from openings 27 and 28 in the trays to the hollow post 13. The draft fitting or manifold 14, for example, is castof metal such as aluminum and in certain instances if desired may be cast integral with the vacuum head portions 21.and 22 or made separate such as to receive any of a variety of vacuum head portions having different size seats for the sections any of a variety of sizes of standard accordions.

Certain standard accordions, such as accordion 17, are separated into bass and treble sections by removing fastening screws 30 (see Figure 2) in the bellows terminal band 31, thus releasing this band for movement from overlapping a corresponding wall 32 on the treble section 18. The bass section 19, as for example with bellows 190 still attached then is separated from the treble section 18 by an appropriate pull. For such accordions, seat.23 on vacuum head portion 21 conveniently includes an outside rectangular lip 21a having substantially the same inside dimensions as the outside dimensions of the lip 32 of treble section 18 thus to engage and seat the latter lip. Some of the screws 30 removed from the accordion illustratively are inserted through side holes in the rectangular lip 21b to engage lip 32 and hold the treble section in air-tight fit. Likewise, seat 24 on vacuum head portion 22 conveniently includes a rectangular inside lip 24b having substantially the same outside dimensions as the inside dimensions of bellows terminal band thus to engage and seat this band. Some of the accordion screws 30 conveniently are inserted through side holes in the band 31 to engage lip 24b and hold the bass section 19 in air-tight'fit.

The distance of vacuum head 17 from base 11 of the stand preferably may be altered to change the height of support of the accordion sections on stand 1%, such as for disposing the accordion to a proper playing position commensurate with the player being seated or in a standing position for playing. Post 13 accordingly comprises tubular elements 33a and 3312, one extending inside the other in a telescoping relation so that these elements may slide with respect to each other to shorten or lengthen the post. Tubular element 33a includes a coupling component 330 on its outside end and this component is connected to a corresponding component 34 of the vacuum head fitting or manifold 14, by bolts 35 and a sealing gasket 36 to sustain the air draft connection from vacuum head 16 to pump 20. The tubular element 33b receives the lower end of tubular element 33a. in substantially airtight, sliding relation. The upper end of tubular element 33b supports in fixed relation a fitting38 which. includes a split annular collar having its open ends interconnected by a manually operable screw 38a engaging these ends for bringing them to a securing position against the outside of tubular element 33a in one direction of rotation of the screw and releasing the securing action on rotation of the screw in the opposite direction. Thus, the tubular element 33a may be extended or retracted to adjust the length of post 13 and has a clamp or other suitable securing means to sustain the desired length.

An air pump and motor muffler 12 on base 11 of the stand, as represented in the accompanying drawing, comprises a vertical cylindrical wall 40 received at opposite ends in corresponding annular grooves 43 and 44 in a mountingplate 41 and a bottom cover plate'42 of the casing. A plurality of bolts 45 extend through the bottom cover plate 42, upward through the inside of air pump housing 12 and through mounting plate.41, and are provided with nuts 46 which are tightened .to secure the mounting plate and bottom cover plate against escape from the cylindrical housing wall 40. Legs 11a of the stand, preferably three in number, have their upper ends securely fastened to the mounting plate 41, such as by the same bolts 45 which hold together the bottom cover plate 42, the cylindrical side wall 40 of the housing and mounting plate41. These legs 11a advantageously are spaced at equal angular intervals around the post 13. They extend downwardly and outwardly in a radial direction from mounting plate 41 and post 13 and are turned down at their lower ends to atfordfeet 11b. Braces 67 are provided having their outer ends secured as by welding to legs 11a somewhat above the lower ends of the legsrand secured at opposite ends .to the bottom cover plate 42 of the air pump housing 12 such-as by the .bolts 45. The provision of three legs for supporting the stand is found best. to prevent rocking-such as where the stand is disposed on an uneven floor.

Air pumpv 20 advantageously is of-the centrifugal type operatively connected with anelectric motor 50. The air pump .20 has its housing secured to the inside of the mounting plate 41 :and has a central intake communicating with the opening 15 in post 13. Radiating from the central intake of the fan are bladeswhich discharge air drawn from post 13 radially into the mufiler 12 and thence through the muffler as represented by arrows .in Figure 3. Electric motor 50 is centrally and axially disposed in the mutfier 12 such as by having the electric motor housing connected to the pump housing in a depending relation. The-electricmotor has a suitable control switch 68' (see Figure 1) on the stand 11 which serves to open and close the motor power supply circuit, not shown. The bottom plate-42'of muifier 12 has a;centra'l opening for air to escape from the stand 10 to atmosphere and the muffler conveniently has a plurality offlat annularbafiiesSI extending inwardly from the insidethousingsurface thereof at spaced intervals .-andcorresponding to like .bafl1es. -52,

extending outwardly at spaced intervals from the housing of motor 50 at points between baffles 51 so as to overlap these in extent. A felt lining 53 or the like conveniently is used adjacent to the inside surfaces of the muffler 12 further to deaden sound.

The quantity-of air drawn by pump 20 past those reeds having their corresponding keys opened by the player of the instrument and through the vacuum head portions 21 and 22, is controlled by means of an air quantity control valve 56, pivotally mounted in the lower end of tubular element 33b. of post 13 at a point somewhat in advance of the intake side of pump 20. The air quantity control valve 56 has means for manually shifting the valve between closed and open positions, such as a lever arm 57 secured to the pivot shaft thereof and a link 58 connecting the outer end of this arm to the forward end of a foot treadle 60 on the stand. Foot treadle 60 is pivoted at 61 to the housing of muflier 12 for the player of the accordion to modify the extent of opening achieved in the air passage 15 by valve 56 and thus to modify the swell of the music produced in playing the instrument keys with the pump 20 in operation. The foot treadle 60 and accordingly the air quantity control valve 56 are biased by a leaf spring 62 secured to the muffler 12 so as to maintain valve 56 in air shut-off position.

Another highly valuable feature resides in the provision of a by-pass 64 around the reeds and air quantity control valve for admitting air to the intake side of the pump when the air quantity control valve 56 is closed, thus to free the motor '50 and pump 20 and other portions of the instrument of undue load when the motor and pump are still operating. The by-pass 64 in the present embodiment is disposed externally of the air pump housing 12 and has an inlet fitting 73 for receiving air through wall 40 from the outlet side of pump 20, and an outlet fitting 74 for feeding air through plate 41 at a point on the air downstream side of air quantity control valve 56.

Lever 66 is secured to the pivot shaft of an air by-pass control valve 63 in by-pass 64, and has its outer end connected to the link 58 so that both valves 56 and 63 may be operated simultaneously and in inverse order of opening and closing by movement of the manual shift means 60.

Air quantity control valve 56 is normally fully closed when valve 63 occupies a full open position in their respective a'ir passages and conversely, when air quantity control valve is fully open, by-pass control valve 63 occupies a full closed position. With this arrangement it is possible for the player of the instrument to control the quantity of air drawn past selected reeds of the accordion sections and through vacuum head 16 and the hollow inside of post 13 while the rotor of pump 20 is being driven by the electric motor 50 and is supplying air to the pump outlet. The air drawn through the reeds of the accordion sections is increased in amount by depressing the treadle 60 to open the valve 56, and simultaneously, valve 63 moves toward a more closed position, thus diminishing in inverse order the quantity of air being recirculated. Full depression of treadle 60 imposes the full draft of air pump 20 on the vacuum head port-ions 21 and 22 and increases the swell of the music, at which time substantially no air is being drawn through the air return duct 64 from muffler 12 back to the intake side of the pump. When reduced foot pressure is applied to the treadle 60, valve 56 approaches a more closed position thus diminishing the draft of the pump on the vacuum head portions, reducing the swell of the music and increasing the amount of air circulated by the pump from housing 12 through return duct 64 back to the pump intake. When treadle 60 is in the up position corresponding to full closure of valve 56, pump 29 may continue to operate under drive of the motor 50 without in any way affecting an accordion supported on the stand. The air merely circulates from the muffler 12 through return duct 64 to the pump intake 6 thence to the pump and back to the mufiler 12 until the motor is shutoff.

By maintaining the pump 20 in operation to deliver air to the pump outlet, and by recirculating controlled quantities of this air through the pump, as described, to modify the draft on the instrument reeds being played, instantaneous response of the instrument occurs and the action of the air on the reeds is immediately modified when the position of treadle 60 is altered. Whether valve 56 is open and the instrument is being played, or whether valve 56 is closed, the load on motor 50 is substantially constant.

The foregoing description has introduced certain aspects of the present invention related to two reed and keyboard sections of a standard accordion, but it will be distinctly understood thatone reed system and a corresponding keyboard or several reed systems and their corresponding keyboards, such as provided from sources other than a standard accordion, instead are at times used in the practice of this invention still with certain of the advantages herein indicated. In this regard, a somewhat modified form of reed organ in accordance with the present invention is represented in Figure 5, and it will be seen that the instrumentfor example includes a stand 10, as before, which except for having a modified vacuum head 16a on the upper end of tubular post member 13, is constructed in the manner hereinbefore described. The instrument further has a single reed-keyboard unit 70 supported by the vacuum head 16a and including a treble keyboard 71 and a bass keyboard 72 each having a corresponding reed system. Vacuum head 16a encloses the reed systems to hollow post 13, thus establishing air draft connection with the intake side of air-pump 20, as before. The instrument is controlled in a manner now believed readily apparent from description herein directed to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

Thus it will be seen that with this invention the various objects hereinbefore noted together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. It will also be noted that the invention embodies reed organ instruments, instrumentassemblies, controls and stands offering many worthwhile advantages and which lend themselves to actual practical use.

As many possible embodiments of this invention may be made and as many possible changes may be made in the embodiments hereinbefore set forth, it will be understood that all matter described herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not as a limitation.

I claim:

l. A reed organ comprising in combination a hollow post having a base on the lower end thereof for maintaining said post in upright position, an air pump on said base and having its intake side connected with the inside of said post and its exhaust side emptying to atmosphere, a motor drivingly connected with said pump and disposed in the path of air exhausted from said pump, at least one set of reeds having a corresponding keyboard, and a vacuum head for said keyboard and reeds and opening into the upper end of said post for air to be drawn past those reeds having their corresponding keys open and through said post by said pump during the pump driving operation of said motor.

2. A reed organ comprising in combination a hollow post having slidably interfitting tubular sections for adjustment in length and means for securing said sections together at the length desired, a base on the lower end of one of said slidably interfitting sections for maintaining said post in upright position, an air pump having its intake side connected with the inside of said post and its output side emptying to atmosphere, a vacuum head on the upper end of the other of said slidably interfitting sections of the post and enclosing at least one set of reeds having a corresponding keyboard to the hollow inside of said post and in air draft relation to the intake side of said pump, a motor drivingly connected with said pump, anair, quantity control valve between said reeds and pump intakefor modifying the amount of .air drawn by said air pump past those particular .reeds in said set of reeds having their keys openduring .thetpump drivingoperation of said motor, valve shifting means operably connected with said quantity control valve and biased to aposition corresponding to closed position of said valve, and a by-pass for admitting air to the intake side of said pump other than past said reeds and quantity control valve and including a by-pass control valve so connected with said valve shifting means that said valves may be opened and closed in inverse order by operation of said shifting means.

3. Areed organ comprising in combination a hollow post having slidably interfitting tubular sections for adjustment inlength and means for securing said sections together at the length desired, a base on the lower end of one of said slidably interfitting sections for maintaining said post in upright position, an air pump having its inlet side connected, in air draft relation to the hollow inside of -saidpost and a motor drivingly connected with said pump, a mufiler enclosing said motor and opening the output side of said pump to the atmosphere, a vacuum head on the upper end of the other of said slidably interfitting sections of the post, said vacuum head including a righthand seat and a lefthand seat respectively on opposite sides of said post, each of said seats receiving a corresponding open section of a separated standard accordion and said vacuum head enclosing the sets of reeds in said sections to the hollow inside of said post and thus in air draft relation to the intake side of said pump, and said seats being inclined so as to sustain tilt of the respective accordion sections toward a side of the instrument to be occupied by the player, an air quantity control valve inside one of said sections of the post for modifying the, amount of air drawn by said air pump past those particular reeds in the accordion sections open during the pump driving operation of said motor, a foot treadle operablyv connected with said quantity control valve and biased to a position corresponding to closed position of said valve, and a by-pass for admitting air to the intake side of said pump other than past said reeds and quantity control valve and including a by-pass control valve operable with said quantity control valve so that said valves attain open and closed positions in inverse order with movement of said treadle.

4. A reed organ comprising a bass section and. a treble section each having at least one set of reeds and a corresponding keyboard, said sections being derived by separating and thus opening the treble and bass sections of a standard accordion at the sides ordinarily enclosed by the accordion bellows, a stand including a vacuum head having seats supporting said treble and bass sections of said standard accordion in demountably secured end-toend relation and enclosing the open sides of said head with the keyboards on said supported sections extending away from each other in substantially parallel directions and said stand further including a base and a hollow post interconnecting said base and vacuum head and situated substantially immediately beneath the adjacent ends of said end-to-end sections, the vacuum head seat for said treble section being tilted to sustain the keys of said treble section in.a substantially horizontal playing position on said stand, saidbase having legs, a pump and a motor for said pump on said base between said legs, said pump:-having its intake side-connected in air draft relation with the inside of said vacuum head through said post and thus in draft relation with the open sides of both of saidtreble and bass sections for said pump to produce by vacuum in said head a reed-vibrating draft past the reeds of said sets having their corresponding keys opened in playing.

5. A reed organ comprising a bass section and a treble section each having at least one'set of reeds and a corresponding keyboard, said-sectionsbeing derived by-separating and thus opening the treble and bass :sections of ,a standard accordion at the sides ordinarily enclosed by the accordion bellows, a stand including a vacuum head having seats supporting said treble and bass 'sections of said standard accordion in demountably secured end-to-end relation on said seats and enclosing the open sides of said:head withthe keyboards on said supported sectionsextending away from each other in substantially parallel directions, the vacuum head seat for said treble section being tilted to sustain the keys of said treble section in a substantially horizontal playing position on said stand and said vacuum head seat for said bass section having substantially the same tilt as said treble section seat to sustain the keys of said bass section in an up position, a pump on said stand having its intake side connected in airdraft relation with the inside of said vacuum head and thus ,in draft relation with the open sides of both of said treble and bass sections, and a motor-drivingly connected with said pump for said pump to produce by vacuum in said head a reed-vibrating draft past the reeds of said setshaving their corresponding keys opened in playing.

6. An instrument stand comprising in combination a hollow post having a base on the lower end thereof, an air pump on said base having its intake side connected with the inside of said post and its output side emptying to atmosphere, a motor drivingly connected with said pump, and a vacuum head on the upper end of said post and having seats 'for seating treble and bass sections of a separated standard accordion and for enclosing the open sides of said accordion sections to the inside of said post connected to-the intake side of said pump.

7. An instrument stand comprising in combination a hollow post having slidablyinterfitting tubular sections for adjustment in length and means for securing said tubular sections together to sustain length desired, a base on the lower end of one of said slidably interfitting sections for maintaining said post in upright position, an air pumpon said base and having its intake side connected with the inside of said post and its output side emptying to atmosphere, a motor drivingly connected with said pump, and a vacuum head on the upper end of-the otherof said slidably interfitting sections of the post and having seats for seating treble and bass sections of a separated standard accordion and for enclosing the open sides of said accordion sections to the inside of said post connected with the intake side of said pump.

8. An instrument stand comprising in combination a hollow post having slidably interfitting tubular sections for adjustment in length and means for securing said tubular sections together to sustain length desired, a base on the lower end done of said slidably interfitting sections for maintaining said post in upright position, an air pump on said base and having its intake side connected withthe inside of said post and its output side emptying to atmosphere, a motor drivingly connected with said pump, and a vacuum head on the upper end of the other of said slidably interfitting sections of the post and affording shaped seats on opposite sides of said post respectively for supporting treble and brass sections of a separated standard accordion and enclosing the open sides of said accordion sections to the inside of said post connected with the intake side of said pump.

9. An instrument stand comprising in combination a hollow post having slidably interfitting tubular sections forsadjustment in length and means for securing said tubular sections together to sustain length desired, a base on the lower end of one of said slidably interfitting sections for maintaining said post in upright position, an air pump on said base and having its intake side connected with the inside of said post and its output side emptying to atmosphere, a motor drivingly connected with said pump, and a vacuum head connected with the intake side of said pump through the upper end of the other of said slidably interfitting sections of the postand afifordingseatsshaving forward tilt onopposite sides of 9 said post, for supporting in operative air draft relation to said pump treble and bass sections of a separated standard accordion in forwardly tilted positions with the treble keyboard of said treble section substantially horizontal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,588,617 Degan Mar. 11, 1952 10 Robotti Sept. 1, 1953 Robotti Sept. 1, 1953 Gobbi Nov. 1, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 24, 1894 Italy Jan. 15, 1951 

